In the June-August 2026 issue of NZ Marketing magazine, we asked agency founders to tell us the story behind why they started their agency, their favourite thing, what they’ve learned and their best advice.
Little Village Creative
- Founder: Carolyn Stebbing
- Year founded: 2015
Tell us the story behind founding your agency.
I founded Little Village Creative as a Kiwi in Melbourne, driven less by a grand plan and more by a persistent itch to build something of my own.
I started my career in NZ and, by 29, after nine years in agencies, I knew I was ready to captain my own ship. I’d learnt lots, but felt bloated hierarchy and arbitrary rules often got in the way of great work and the relationships needed to get ideas over the line.
Starting LVC was a leap. I started with no clients and nothing lined up (standard non-compete situation). I had a 12-month apartment lease and just enough money to buy a laptop. It’s commonplace now, but for me the ‘Village’ model came from necessity.
I couldn’t afford to hire so I built a freelance network, including some of my favourite Kiwi collaborators. A few clients backed it, and we were off.
What’s your favourite thing about running your own agency?
There’s something so incredibly satisfying about being able to say: “I made this.”
Whether it’s a campaign, a brand or building and growing an agency itself, I’ve always been someone who likes to create things from scratch. Seeing an idea come to life for real is a pretty great feeling.
One of the best parts of running LVC is having agency over my own agency. I get to choose how I work, what I work on and who I do it with. I feel very fortunate to be able to do so.
I’m also lucky to work with the most incredibly talented team of humans within my team, as well as my clients – inspiring people building inspiring things all around the world.
So for me, it’s the mix of building something from the ground up and doing it on my own terms, with people I genuinely enjoy spending time with. Hard to beat that.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
It’s difficult to choose one thing!
Here are my big lessons. Fear is kryptonite to creativity, and you must stamp it out if you want to be successful. If the way someone treats you or your team compromises wellbeing or the quality of the work, you can’t let it fester.
Scaling is one of the biggest challenges you face as a founder. Growth is great, but that’s only half the story. You also need the foundations to support it. Things really shifted for LVC when I started paying closer attention to margins, not just revenue. You need to be in the numbers every day, understand what drives profitability and make the right calls quickly.
Also, being able to speak the language of the C-suite will give you the best chance of getting great ideas over the line.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received or given out?
Your work will always be better if you get out of your bubble and cultivate interests outside of this industry. Stay humble, stay curious.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 87, June-August 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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